History

Nan Desu Kan?

Nan Desu Kan (a Japanese pun translating loosely to ‘what is it?’) began its life in 1997 at the Tivoli Student Union as a small, fan-run convention with about 200 attendees.

These days, several hotels (currently the Sheraton Denver Downtown) and over 20 years later, NDK is still a fan-run convention, sponsored by the RMAA. And with a total weekend attendance around 30,000 (over 9,000 people per day), it’s now the largest anime convention in Colorado and 14 surrounding states (excluding Texas).

Since 2000, NDK has featured a charity auction with 100 percent of the proceeds donated to a select organization. In 2011, the RMAA held a special one-day event for Japanese disaster relief and matched all funds raised dollar-for-dollar. NDK’s Rave2Save Japan raised $13,440 (included matched funds).

The RMAA also sponsors NDK NYE, the New Year’s Eve Costume Ball. NDK NYE (at the Denver Renaissance) features a fusion of Japanese cultural activities and refined anime cosplay elegance in an all-ages atmosphere, a variety of music by NDK’s own DJ Jeremy, door prizes, charity casino and other games, and a balloon drop at midnight.